Chapter 16: A Single Leaf Severing the Three Thousand Great Paths

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“You spoke very well!”
Li Tianyuan looked at Jiang Yueli, his eyes gleaming faintly.
Inwardly, he couldn’t help but marvel, yet also felt a bit embarrassed.
My disciple, you’ve said it all—how am I supposed to keep up the pretense now?
You’re so formidable; does your family know about this?
Originally, he intended to lead Jiang Yueli to express her understanding of the Way of the Sword through a question, so that he could then offer some guidance accordingly.
But to his surprise, his disciple was so clever—she had already grasped the great path of the sword so quickly and could even apply it flexibly!
In that case, how could he still provide any instruction?
“Ahem!”
Li Tianyuan cleared his throat and looked at Jiang Yueli with a slightly profound expression. “Disciple, what you have described—the heart as the Way of the Sword, Heaven and Earth as the Way of the Sword, all things as the sword—these are indeed the foundations of the Way of the Sword.”
“But what I must tell you now is what constitutes the pinnacle, the ultimate limit of the Way of the Sword.”
“Please, Master, enlighten me.”
Jiang Yueli bowed respectfully, listening intently.
Sure enough, what she had comprehended so far was but a minor path!
“The so-called ultimate of the Way of the Sword is that a single blade of grass can cut through the sun, moon, and stars; a single leaf can sever the myriad great Dao!”
Li Tianyuan clasped his hands behind his back and uttered a phrase he had read in an online novel in a past life.
His words struck like thunder roaring in Jiang Yueli’s ears, shaking her very soul.
“A single blade of grass, a single leaf—cutting through sun, moon, stars, and all the myriad Dao!”
A brilliant radiance flickered in Jiang Yueli’s eyes as she stared unwaveringly at her master.
An image surfaced in her mind—a figure standing atop the vast sky, swinging a sword that shattered the sun, moon, and stars, severing all the great Dao of existence.
“Master, this is such a majestic realm that the Way of the Sword can reach—how great must one’s realization be to comprehend this!”
She murmured, her eyes filled with longing to one day attain such a level.
Seeing his disciple stunned by his words, a smile appeared on Li Tianyuan’s lips.
His elaborate display had not been in vain.
“So it is. Now, I shall pass on to you the Lingyun Sword Manual!”
Li Tianyuan extended his right index finger and lightly tapped the void; immediately, an ancient jade slip flew out and hovered in midair.

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On the jade slip were densely inscribed characters, resembling tadpole script, each character imbued with a powerful sword intent.
Jiang Yueli respectfully took the jade slip and immersed herself in its essence.
In an instant, her mind seemed to expand, as various sword techniques and sword intents flashed past her eyes like a fleeting panorama.
“Thank you, Master.”
Jiang Yueli bowed deeply to Li Tianyuan in earnest gratitude.
“Good. Now go and cultivate it well. Strive to soon reach the realm of subtle mastery in the Way of the Sword!” Li Tianyuan nodded approvingly.
[Levels of Sword Dao attainment: Subtle mastery (sword cultivator controls sword qi), Profound (great sword cultivator commands sword force), Clear Sword Heart (sword saint wields sword radiance), Enlightened Sword Heart (sword god masters sword momentum), Heavenly Sword Momentum (sword immortal governs the laws of the sword), Infinite Sword Dao (sword emperor)]
“I shall exert myself to the utmost!”
Jiang Yueli said resolutely, then turned to leave.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Not long after Jiang Yueli departed, three resounding bell chimes echoed sharply, vibrating in all directions and reverberating throughout the Lingxiao Sacred Ground.
“The Lingxiao Bell tolls—this summons all senior elders to convene at Lingxiao Palace for a council. Could something significant be happening?”
Hearing the sudden bell, Li Tianyuan furrowed his brow.
But he gave it little thought and turned to leave Lingyun Peak, heading toward Lingxiao Palace.
…
Lingxiao Peak, situated at the very heart of the Sacred Ground, was the core of the sanctuary.
It rose towering into the clouds, magnificent and imposing, piercing the heavens; the summit was shrouded in mist, like a fairyland, inspiring longing.
Lingxiao Palace rested atop the peak, its grandeur awe-inspiring.
Flanking the gates stood two stone statues, lifelike and fierce, as if colossal beasts guarded the entrance, exuding majestic authority and surveying all around with disdain, dominating all challengers.
Inside the main hall of Lingxiao Palace, the sect leader, True Immortal Tai Xuan, sat at the head seat, before him a massive mirror.
The mirror reflected the scene of the nascent Hongmeng Heavenly Ranking hovering in the sky above, yet to fully unfold.
By the time Li Tianyuan arrived, many senior elders had already taken their seats, arranged in order according to their peak’s status, clearly distinguished.
Li Tianyuan bowed to True Immortal Tai Xuan, then took his place beside the prominent elders of the lower thirty-six peaks.
They murmured quietly among themselves.
Listening carefully, Li Tianyuan discerned they were mostly discussing the nature born yesterday that caused the advent of the Immortal Dao era, and the Hongmeng Heavenly Ranking above the firmament.

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He had also noticed this strange phenomenon the previous evening—a mysterious scroll appearing in the sky.
However, since the original owner’s memories contained no relevant information, he was unaware of the specifics.
Now, from their words, he roughly pieced together the situation.
This matter seemed connected to him—or more precisely, to the Heavenly Dao Creation Body he had activated.
After all, yesterday, when activating the Heavenly Dao Creation Body, he distinctly felt a resonance with Heaven and Earth, bringing forth a myriad of strange phenomena and great creation.
Li Tianyuan stroked his chin thoughtfully.
It appeared no one yet knew it was he who had triggered the Heavenly Dao Creation Body and caused these celestial anomalies; otherwise, the news would surely have caused an uproar.
But that was for the best—keeping a low profile was never a bad thing.
Shortly, over a hundred people had gathered in the hall.
“Today I have called you all here, and I believe you already understand the reason.”
True Immortal Tai Xuan surveyed the crowd, his voice calm yet resolute.
Li Tianyuan looked up and could clearly feel the strong aura radiating from the sect leader.
“Master, we understand.”
Everyone bowed in unison.
“In that case, I shall not waste time.”
Tai Xuan’s gaze swept the assembly; his expression turned solemn and dignified as he declared:
“Yesterday, Heaven and Earth trembled, creation descended, and the Hongmeng Heavenly Ranking was born. This heralds the arrival of the Immortal Dao era.”
“It is foreseeable that henceforth, the entire Ziwei Immortal Domain will be flooded with countless resources and opportunities, various sects vying for dominance, prodigies emerging by the dozens, heroes contending for supremacy.”
“This is an age of eternal great strife, where fortune and peril coexist. Our Lingxiao Sacred Ground must prepare in advance to seize these supreme creations and the soon-to-open Hongmeng Heavenly Ranking.”
“If we grasp this chance, our Lingxiao Sacred Ground will rise to even greater heights.”
True Immortal Tai Xuan’s voice was powerful and commanding, imbued with an aura of dominance that caused the entire hall to hum and tremble.
“Master’s words are most true. As a top-tier Daoist lineage, our Lingxiao Sacred Ground must compete for the grandest fortunes!”
All present eyes blazed with fervor, their hearts stirred by the call to arms.